"I mean it."
"Then you are not yourself! You had better see a doctor. Why, only the day before yesterday we spoke with Ruscar about what all this could mean. Defeating the United States we could conquer the earth, of course. But what is the Earth here and now, this year, when with Ruscar's help we can have all Earth, through all the centuries, for all time?"
"What makes you think we can trust this Ruscar?"
"That's fantastic. Everything is arranged. Perhaps later, much later—after we have consolidated our position in time, then we can think of doing without Ruscar's help. But not now."
"Well—" said Dorlup, at a loss for words.
The door opened. It was Georgi Malenkov who stood there.
"Vladimir, I was told I could find you here in conference with someone, they didn't know who. They—Vladimir!" Malenkov looked at Dorlup. His small eyes bulged.
Chenkov's mouth dropped open. "This is impossible!"
"Vladimir, please. Please. I see it now. I see it all—" Malenkov had grown pale staring at his duplicate. "You have this double. You and Ruscar. You plan to do away with me and keep a figurehead instead. Vladimir, please, I can listen to reason. I can make my rule a partnership, a triumvirate if you wish." Malenkov was blubbering. "I could smell it in the air, this plot, this intrigue, this—I knew something was afoot. Something I didn't know what. All hands were turned against me, all—"